Aides: Ashcroft Likely to Leave AG Post

[jamotto]

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By CURT ANDERSON, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Attorney General John Ashcroft is likely to leave his post before the start of President Bush second term, senior aides said Thursday.

Ashcroft, 62, is described as exhausted from leading the Justice Department in fighting the domestic war on terrorism since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Stress was a factor in Ashcroft's health problems earlier this year that resulted in removal of his gall bladder.

Ashcroft is expected to resign before Bush's Jan. 20 inauguration, said aides who spoke only on condition of anonymity. They said there is a small chance he would stay on, at least for a short time, if Bush asked him.

The attorney general has not officially informed his staff of his future plans, spokesman Mark Corallo said.

At a news conference, Bush said he hasn't made any decisions about his Cabinet.

Ashcroft, a former two-term governor and senator from Missouri, has long been a favorite among Bush's base of religious conservatives. He also is a lightning rod for Democrats and other critics on issues ranging from the anti-terrorism Patriot Act, which expanded rules for eavesdropping, to abortion rights and gun control.

Names that have been floated in recent weeks as a possible replacement include Ashcroft's former deputy, Larry Thompson, who would become the first black attorney general. Others include Marc Racicot, who was Bush's campaign manager, and White House general counsel Alberto Gonzalez, who would give Bush a notable Hispanic appointment.

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[Supreme Cmdr]

I bet all the terrorists, pirates, spammers etc are rejoicing right about now.

[jamotto]

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Originally posted by Supreme Cmdr:

I bet all the terrorists, pirates, spammers etc are rejoicing right about now.

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True and that's just the start of people leaving.

Cabinet Changes Likely in Bush's 2nd Term

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By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - President Bush calls it a "great Washington sport," the speculation about who will be in his second-term Cabinet, but even he says there will be new faces sitting around the polished mahogany table in the West Wing.

The first face to be replaced could be that of Attorney General John Ashcroft (news - web sites), who might leave even before the second term begins, senior aides said Thursday. Others expected to leave ÔÇö although maybe not immediately ÔÇö include Secretary of State Colin Powell, Health and Human Services (news - web sites) Secretary Tommy Thompson and Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta.

"In the Cabinet, there will be some changes," said Bush, who says he's made no decisions yet and will ponder personnel changes this weekend at Camp David. "I don't know who they will be. It's inevitable there will be changes."

Ashcroft, 62, is described as exhausted from leading the Justice Department in fighting the domestic war on terrorism since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Stress was a factor in Ashcroft's health problems earlier this year, which resulted in removal of his gall bladder.

Names floated as a possible replacement include Ashcroft's former deputy, Larry Thompson, who would be the first black attorney general; Republican Party Chairman Marc Racicot; and White House general counsel Alberto Gonzales, a Hispanic.

The president held the 27th cabinet meeting of his presidency Thursday ÔÇö possibly the last of his first term.

"I fully understand we're about to head into the period of intense speculation as to who is going to stay and who's not going to stay," said Bush, who warned the Cabinet that speculation was running rampant. "It's a great Washington sport to be talking about who's going to leave and who the replacements may be and handicapping, you know, my way of thinking."

Secretary of State Colin Powell, dubbed the dove among hawks in the Bush administration, was widely expected to be the first out the door, but he recently signaled he might stay a while if Bush asked. Possible Powell replacements include John Danforth, a former Republican senator of Missouri who is now the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Sam Nunn, a former Democratic senator from Georgia who once headed the Armed Services Committee; and John Bolton, undersecretary of state.

National security adviser Condoleezza Rice who has talked about returning to academic life in California, has also been mentioned as a possible replacement for Powell. She has told associates that she won't be at the same post in a second term, portraying it as a burnout job, but she's close to Bush and he might persuade her to stay on, possibly at State or Defense.

If she leaves, her shoes might be filled by Steve Hadley, deputy national security adviser, or Robert Blackwill, the National Security Council's point man on Iraq.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has not offered clues about his future, but Rumsfeld aides now say they expect him to remain in the job for the start of Bush's second term. Aides to deputy defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz say he is likely to leave his job, and that he might be interested in taking Rice's place if she leaves. Other contenders for the top Pentagon (news - web sites) job are Sen. John Warner, R-Va.; Rice; and John Lehman, a former Navy secretary and a Republican member of the Sept. 11 Commission.

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has told colleagues he'll probably leave after the election because of his personal finances and job stresses. For now, though, a Ridge aide said the secretary is focused on his job, especially going into the holiday season, which has been a high threat period. Ridge has a full schedule of homeland security events planned through at least the end of the year, the aide said.

If he steps down, White House homeland security adviser Frances Townsend is a possible successor, as are Asa Hutchinson, Homeland Security Department undersecretary for border and transportation security, and Thomas Kean, chairman of the Sept. 11 Commission. Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's name also has been floated as a possible Ridge replacement.

Treasury Secretary John Snow will probably remain on board. A senior administration official said it's possible that Commerce Secretary Donald Evans would move over to the Treasury job now held by Snow. One name being mentioned for Evans' job at Commerce, should it come open, is Mercer Reynolds, national finance chairman for the Bush campaign, who raised more than $260 million to get him re-elected.

Thompson, the health and human services chief, says he'll take a break from government service after four years on the job and 14 as Wisconsin governor. The odds-on favorite to replace Thompson is Medicare chief Mark McClellan, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and brother of White House press secretary Scott McClellan.

If Bush wants a change at the Education Department, he might pick domestic policy adviser Margaret Spellings, who helped shape his school agenda when he was Texas governor. The only Democrat in Bush's Cabinet, Transportation Secretary Mineta, 72, has endured serious health problems, so Bush may look to Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham or Marion Blakey, head of the Federal Aviation Administration. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao has expressed an interest in being transportation secretary.

It's unclear whether the newly confirmed CIA Director Porter Goss would stay at the spy agency in a second term or be given the more powerful position of national intelligence director ÔÇö if Congress creates it. Also expected to be in the mix for the new umbrella job: Townsend and Cofer Black, the State Department's counterterrorism coordinator.

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